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March 10, 2012

Transportation bill moving forward

The U.S. Senate is moving forward with legislation, S. 1813, that would put in place a new two year transportation authorization. Floor votes began last week on amendments after agreement was reached by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch…

March 9, 2012

2012 Michigan Municipal League Directory Now Available to Members, Partners

The 2012 Directory of Michigan Municipal Officials is now available to Michigan Municipal League members and business alliance participants. The 230-page "Official Directory of the Michigan Municipal League" is the only place to find contact information for thousands of Michigan community…

March 8, 2012

Annexation Bill to Lock Borders of Cities and Charter Townships over 20,000 Receives Hearing

Brighton City Manager Dana Foster and the League's Andy Schor testify against an annexation bill March 8, 2012, in Lansing.LANSING, Michigan - The House Local Government Committee today (March 8, 2012) took up HB 4007 for testimony. This bill would…

March 7, 2012

Governor delivers public safety message

This morning Governor Rick Snyder delivered his public safety message. The message will be available on the Governor's website. There are several key points that affect our communities. They include: $10 million of the $25 million EVIP grant funds will…

March 6, 2012

House committee passes public employee disclosure bill

This afternoon the House Oversight, Reform and Ethics committee passed HB 5196, a bill creating the Public Employee Compensation Disclosure Act. The committee passed bill may be viewed here: HB 5196 h-1.pdf (10.83 kb) The committee passed version requires a…

March 6, 2012

Yard waste ban exemption passes committee

This morning the House Energy & Technology Committee reported House Bills 4265 and 4266, bills that lift the yard waste ban exemption for landfills in certain instances. The bills changed from the introduced version to require yard waste to remain…

March 6, 2012

U.S. Senate Transportation bill gets local amendments for Michigan communities

Thanks to your efforts and those of advocates across the county, the transportation authorization funding bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate, S. 1813, now contains several key amendments. This includes the Cardin-Cochran amendment that increases local control over…

March 2, 2012

House transportation legislation getting a remake

Facing stiff opposition from all fronts, House leadership in Congress is changing their proposed transportation authorization bill. Although it is uncertain when the bill will be brought before the full House, it has gone from a 5 year proposal to…

March 1, 2012

Annexation Change Bill to be Heard in House Committee Thursday

The House Local, Intergovernmental, and Regional Affairs Committee will take up (for testimony only) HB 4007. This bill will exempt charter townships with a population of more than 20,000 from annexation. The bill can be viewed here.This bill will effectively…

March 1, 2012

Eminent Domain restrictions pass House – may be tied to transportation authorization

Eminent domain...the words illicit strong opinions from all sides. Michigan officials will recall the ballot proposal adopted several years ago amending our state's constitution to severly restrict those instances in which eminant domain can be used. Now the Congress appears…

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